Joy's shower-- the decorations

These pictures are two months overdue-- but here is my sister's bridal shower. We went with an aqua and lime green theme with all the lettering in Navy as that was the only color she gave us. I made everything myself with some fabric, the cricuit, and a whole lot of hot glue ;)

The Finish Line

I've only done three races so far, but I have learned that I start out with a burst, keep a steady pace throughout, and then by the end, just want to cross the finish line moving. There are always people at the end cheering you on to do some sort of last minute sprint, but the way I see it, I just covered x amount of distance and am just happy to be moving at this point.

We are about to cross another finish line as a family-- we are finishing up our first unofficially official (in PA we don't officially declare ourselves until our oldest is 8) year of homeschool. And we made it! Our homeschool pace is much like my running one in that we're not pulling out any tricks or fancy sprints this last little trek-- we're keeping our pace and will hopefully finish strong.

And it feels so good to know that we can do this-- our kids are fine (other then the obvious scrapes, bumps, one fracture), the parents are fine, and we as a family unit did it! And it feels pretty good.

I have been asked what curriculum we use and this past year we did a based-off of Sonlight while next year we will do a strictly Sonlight. We use Singapore for Math and I love it-- it is more advanced and not heavy on tedious repetiotion-- yay! We used Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons and while not always painless, we made it through and I LOVED it. We had various other workbooks and books for Science, History, andwriting, etc. Here are some of the links-- let me know what you love and use :)

Hhttp://www.sonlight.com/
http://www.startreading.com/
http://www.singaporemath.com

Places to Play in PA: Valley Forge Park

PA has a host of battlefields, but this is our favorite. Only a half an hour away and always a pleasant time outdoors. http://www.valleyforge.org/NationalPark/

This park has tons of recreated cabins, officers quarters, and reenactments througout the year. It also boasts a strong collection of monuments and statues-- the most famous The Arch. In addition, it has miles and miles of walking and biking trails. We like to start at the visitors center, the arch, or Washington Memorial Chapel. Also, on the back end of the park there is a covered bridge and this is also a nice place to hike up one of the small mountains.

And, I have to mention the deer. The park is loaded with tons of these deer and I don't think there has been a visit when we did not see them! Very fun for the kids.

Also, a great place for pictures, a run, or a really nice picnic lunch-- enjoy :)

Risotto Magic!!

Can you tell we are really cooking again and getting back to our regular schedule?

Anyway this risotto truly was magical as it got my 19 month old to actually eat green veggies, and shock alert-- he LIVED!

I have never made risotto before and since Matt wasnt going to be home for dinner, I didn't have to feel bad about our completely vegetarian dinner :) I got the recipe from a Martha Stewart Food cookbook but found it on her website: http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5690151281930472906

It was pretty easy to make especially when I realized we have been making the fast-mom-needs-to-serve-dinner-quickly version: cheesy orzo. We cook our 1 cup of orzo in one and about a 1/3 cup of boiling broth and then add parmesan cheese, stir, serve, and eat. We add some parsley for color, but my kids and husband love this like crazy!

Also, I was wary about trying this recipe before as I don't like zucchini, but I bit the bullet because I want the kids to like it regardless, and guess what?! I LOVED the zucchini in here so much I was fishing around for it and making sure i got extra pieces in my second serving!

So, enjoy-- bring some small amount of simple deliciousness to your family!

Mozzerella Tomato Pizzas

We made these simple pizzas last night and my son said, "Mom, I can't believe we all really like this for dinner!" Me too! Seriously, my one and a half year old has been going through some picky eater issues and dinner for the first time ever is a battle. I adapted this recipe from an old Rachel Ray one and couldn't find it online, so here is the new beckified one :)

Two crusty loaves of bread
fresh mozzerella cheese (you could probably use regular mozz. cheese, but the taste is so worth the extra money)
Dried basil (fresh isn't growing out back yet)
Dried oregano
minced garlic
sprinkle of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 carton of cherry or grape tomatoes- i cut mine in thirds so the would be easier for the kids to eat
Olive Oil

Place bread sliced long ways under low broiler for 3 minutes. Brush with olive oil and run some minced garlic on it. Slice Mozzerella ball or crumble it and place over oil. Sprinkle oregano on top and then add tomatoes. Sprinkle with Basil, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top and put under broiler again for 3 minutes. Take out eat and enjoy :) I am sure you could add some fresh spinach and other goodies-- but it was really good just like this-- no leftovers and so fresh!!

I have also been resuming our normal life after the wedding, and normal for me is organizing. Check out my newly much needed to be organized spice cabinet :) Took less then 15 minutes and looks so much better-- 15 minutes a day on one area makes such a difference over all :)

The cry of my Heart

We had a long day today. First Matt finished putting together a new wardrobe to replace his dresser and as I tried to sort and reorganize everything, he trotted upstairs to replace the big kids light.

And, the wiring up there is so ancient that colored wires were non-existent! The electrician can't come tomorrow due to all the storm power problems which I totally am find with as our hearts goes out towards those hit hard by the storms.

But, now one room is in total upheavel and the other without power and Matt is talking about re-doing the kitchen and hold the phone! I don't think I can handle that! Plus the-- well, I have a long list of craziness that needs done and it is so overwhelming at times. Finally, called husband and said this house doesn't feel comfortable or homey anymore-- I want out. Then, with all the other stuff going on in the world that has never stopped and will never stop, it gave me such a hunger and deep desire for Jesus and heaven. Jesus, you are whom I yearn for and I just wanted to remind you dear reader that whatever happens here, its okay, something so much better is waiting for us. This is not a permanent home-- it has and always will have problems. I am just so glad Heaven doesn't have a home depot and is run by the ultimate Handy Man :)

Places to play in PA: Hands on House

We have been members here for a year and a half and I can honestly say each time is a little different and we always leave satisfied!

One of the best things about it is I dont have to go into the city and it's easy to get to all by myself with all 3 kiddos in tow-- yay! They also keep it simple and familiar only changing two of the many play areas. I love this because theres always osmeting a little new and yet at the same time my kids keep building their skills in each of the other rooms.

One of our favorites is the grocery store-- they love shopping, punching the cash register buttons, and following the little lists they have for them. Another favorite is the thing-a-ma-gig room where there is a mechanical assembly line to work on and lots of other math related things like sorting and building ramps. All 3 of my kids get completely asorbed in finishing their tasks and experiencing the joy of a job well done.

One downer is that on the weekdays they close at 4 and sometimes we could def. stay longer and the other would be that the paint in the face painting section is not eye friendly and we have had problems getting it out of our clothes, but that being said, it is a wonderful afternoon each and everytime.

http://www.handsonhouse.org/